GMO – Complete Listing Issue #13

How to avoid brands made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically modified organism or GMO. GMOs can be engineered with genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but unlike most other industrialized countries, the U.S. does not require labeling.

This Non-GMO Shopping Guide is designed to help reclaim your right to know about the foods you are buying, and help you find and avoid GMO foods and ingredients.

Tips for avoiding GM crops

❧TIP #1: BUY ORGANIC

Certified organic products are not allowed to contain any GMOs. Therefore, when you purchase products labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients,” all ingredients in these products are not allowed to be produced from GMOs. For example, products labeled as “made with organic ingredients” only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic, but 100% must be non-GMO.

❧TIP #2: LOOK FOR “NON-GMO” LABELS

Companies may voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.” Some labels state “non-GMO” while others spell out “Made Without Genetically Modified Ingredients.” Some products limit their claim to only one particular “At-Risk” ingredient such as soy lecithin, listing it as “non-GMO.”

❧ TIP #3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS

Avoid products made with any of the crops that are GM. Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed, used in processed foods. Some of the most common genetically engineered Big Four ingredients in processed foods are:

Keep this Guide with you whenever you shop. Store it inside your reusable shopping bag, put into your coupon-holder or checkbook, or leave it in your car.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Very few fresh fruits and vegetables for sale in the U.S. are genetically modified. Novel products such as seedless watermelons are NOT genetically modified. Small amounts of zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and sweet corn may be GM. The only commercialized GM fruit is papaya from Hawaii— about half of Hawaii’s papayas are GM. Non-GMO: Vital Choice

MEAT, FISH & EGGS

No genetically modified fish, fowl, or livestock is yet approved for human consumption. However, plenty of non-organic foods are produced from animals raised on GM feed such as grains. Look for wild rather than farmed fish to avoid fish raised on genetically modified feed, and 100% grass-fed animals.

Eggs: Non-GMO

Egg Innovations Organic

Eggland’s Best Organic

Land O’Lakes Organic

Nest Fresh Organic

Organic Valley

Pete and Jerry’s Organic Eggs

Wilcox Farms Organic

ALTERNATIVE MEAT PRODUCTS

Many alternative meat products are processed and include ingredients that can be genetically engineered, so give the ingredient lists close attention to avoid the Big Four at-risk ingredients, especially soy.

Non-GMO

365 Brand (Whole Foods)

Amy’s

Sunshine Burger

Vitasoy

Wildwood

White Wave

May contain GMO ingredients

Boca, unless labeled organic (Kraft)

Gardenburger

Morningstar Farms

Natural Touch, unless labeled organic (Kellogg)

DAIRY PRODUCTS & ALTERNATIVE DAIRY PRODUCTS

Some U.S. dairy farms inject the genetically engineered hormone rbGH, also called rbST, into their cows to boost milk production—so be sure to purchase products with a label that indicates cows free of rbGH or rbST. Many alternative dairy products are made from soybeans and may contain GM materials.

Dairy Products: Non-GMO

Certified Organic

Alta Dena Organics

Butterworks Farm

Harmony Hills Dairy

Horizon Organic

Morningland Dairy

Natural by Nature

Organic Valley

Radiance Dairy

Safeway Organic Brand

Seven Stars Farm

Straus Family Creamery

Stonyfield Farm

Wisconsin Organics

Produced Without rbGH

National

Alta Dena

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Brown Cow Farm

Crowley Cheese of Vermont

Franklin County Cheese

Grafton Village Cheese

Great Hill Dairy

Lifetime Dairy

West Coast

Alpenrose Dairy

Berkeley Farms

Clover Stornetta Farms

Joseph Farms Cheese

Sunshine Dairy Foods

Tillamook Cheese

Wilcox Family Farms

Midwest and Gulf States

Chippewa Valley Cheese

Erivan Dairy Yogurt

Promised Land Dairy

Westby Cooperative Creamery

East Coast

Blythedale Farm Cheese

Crescent Creamery

Derle Farms (milk with “no rbST” label only)

Erivan Dairy Yogurt

Farmland Dairies

Oakhurst Dairy

Wilcox Dairy (rbST-free dairy line only)

May contain GMO ingredients

Colombo (General Mills)

Dannon

Kemps (aside from “Select” brand)

Land O’ Lakes

Parmalat

Sorrento

Yoplait (General Mills)

Alternative Dairy Products Non-GMO

Belsoy

EdenSoy

Imagine Foods/Soy Dream

Nancy’s Cultured Soy

Pacific Soy

Silk

Soy Delicious

Sun Soy

Stonyfield Farm O’Soy

Tofutti

VitaSoy/Nasoya

WestSoy

WholeSoy

Yves The Good Slice

Zen Den

May contain GMO ingredients

8th Continent

BABY FOODS & INFANT FORMULA

Milk or soy protein is the basis of most infant formulas. The secret ingredients in these products are often soy or milk from cows injected with rbGH. Many brands also add GMO-derived corn syrup, corn syrup solids, or soy lecithin.

Non-GMO

Baby’s Only

(certified organic products)

Earth’s Best

Gerber products

HAPPYBABY

Mom Made Meals

Organic Baby

Plum Organics

May contain GMO ingredients

Beech-Nut

Enfamil

Good Start

Nestlé

Similac/Isomil

GRAINS, BEANS & PASTA

Other than corn, no GM grains are sold on the market. Look for 100-percent wheat pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, oats, barley, sorghum, and dried beans (except soybeans).

Non-GMO

Annie’s Natural Pasta

Bob’s Red Mill (organic line)

Eden certified organic grains

Kamut

Lundberg Family Farms

Sunridge Farms

Vita-Spelt pasta

Packaged Meals Non-GMO

Amy’s

Annie’s Homegrown certified

organic macaroni & cheese

Casbah (Hain-Celestial)

Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods

Fantastic Foods

Ian’s Natural Foods

Lotus Foods

Lundberg Farms Rice Sensations

Organic Planet

Seeds of Change certified organic boxed meals

May Contain GMO Ingredients

Betty Crocker meals (General Mills)

Knorr (Unilever)

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese meals

Lipton meal packets (Unilever)

Near East (Quaker)

Pasta Roni and Rice-A-Roni meals (Quaker)

CEREALS & BREAKFAST BARS

Cereals and breakfast bars are very likely to include GMO ingredients, because they are often made with corn and soy products.

Non-GMO:

Ambrosial Granola

Barbara’s (organic line)

Cascadian Farms

Eden

EnviroKidz

Golden Temple

Grandy Oats

Health Valley (organic line)

Lundberg® Purely Organic

Rice Cereal

Nature’s Path

Nonuttin’

Omega Smart Bars

Peace Cereal Organic

Sunridge Farms

May Contain GMO Ingredients

General Mills

Kellogg

Post (Kraft)

Quaker

BAKED GOODS

While baking ingredients such as wheat flour, rice, kamut, and oats are not genetically modified, many packaged breads and bakery items contain other GMO ingredients such as corn syrup.

Non-GMO

Arrowhead Mills (organic line)

Bakery on Main

Bob’s Red Mill (organic line)

Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods

Dr Oetker Organics

French Meadow

Natural Ovens Bakery (organic line)

Nature’s Path

Rudi’s Organic Bakery

Rumford Baking Powder

May Contain GMO Ingredients

Aunt Jemima (Pinnacle Foods)

Betty Crocker (General Mills)

Calumet Baking Powder (Kraft)

Duncan Hines (Pinnacle Foods)

Hungry Jack (Smucker’s)

Pillsbury (Smucker’s)

FROZEN FOODS

Many frozen foods are highly processed. Keep an eye out for the Big Four at-risk ingredients and stay away from frozen foods that contain them, unless they are marked organic or non-GM.

Many sweeteners, and products like candy and chocolate that contain them, can come from GMO sources. Look for organic and non-GMO sweeteners, candy and chocolate products made with 100% cane sugar, evaporated cane juice or organic sugar to avoid GM beet sugar, and watch out for soy lecithin in chocolates and corn syrup in candies. The sweetener aspartame is derived from GM microorganisms. It is also referred to as NutraSweet® and Equal® and is found in over 6,000 products, including soft drinks, gum, candy, desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

Chocolate Non-GMO

Chocolove

Endangered Species Chocolate

Ghirardelli Chocolate

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate

Kipali Organics

Newman’s Own

Nonuttin’

May Contain GMO Ingredients

Hershey’s

Nestlé (Crunch, Kit Kat, Smarties)

Toblerone (Kraft)

Candy

Non-GMO

Jelly Belly

Pure Fun Confections

Reed’s Crystallized Ginger

candy (certified organic)

St. Claire Organic

Sunridge Farms

May Contain GMO

Ingredients

Hershey’s

Lifesaver (Kraft)

Nestlé

Sweeteners Non-GMO

Eden

Sweet Cloud

SODAS, JUICES & OTHER BEVERAGES

Most juices are made from GMO-free fruit (avoid papaya though, as it could be GMO), but the prevalence of corn-based sweeteners—e.g. high-fructose corn syrup—in fruit juices is cause for concern. Many sodas are primarily comprised of water and corn syrup. Look for 100-percent juice blends.

Non-GMO

After the Fall organic juices

Big Island Organics

Blue Sky

Cascadian Farm

Crofters Organic

Eden

Frey Vinyards

Odwalla

Organic Valley

Quinoa Gold

Mixerz All Natural Cocktail Mixers

R.W. Knudsen organic juices

and spritzers (Smucker’s)

Santa Cruz Organic (Smucker’s)

Sea20 Organic Energy Drink

Teeccino Herbal Caffe

Walnut Acres Organic Juices

May Contain GMO Ingredients

Coca-Cola (Fruitopia, Minute Maid, Hi-C, NESTEA)

Hansen Beverage Company

Hawaiian Punch (Procter and Gamble)

Kraft (Country Time, Kool-Aid,

Crystal Light, Capri Sun, Tang)

Libby’s (Nestlé)

Ocean Spray

Pepsi (Tropicana, Frappuccino,

Gatorade, SoBe, Dole)

Sunny Delight (Procter and Gamble)

INVISIBLE GM INGREDIENTS

Processed foods often have hidden GM sources (unless they are organic or declared non-GMO). The following are ingredients that may be made from GMOs.

Aspartame

baking powder

caramel color

cellulose

citric acid

cobalamin

(Vitamin B12)

corn gluten

corn masa

corn oil

corn syrup

cornmeal

cornstarch

cyclodextrin

cystein

dextrin

dextrose

diacetyl

diglyceride

fructose

fructose

(crystalline)

glucose

glutamate

glutamic acid

gluten

glycerides

glycerin

glycerol

glycerol

monooleate

glycine

hemicellulose

high fructose

corn syrup

(HFCS)

hydrogenated

starch

hydrolyzed vegetable

protein

inositol

invert sugar

(colorose or

inversol)

tamari

isoflavones

lactic acid

lecithin

leucine

lysine

malitol

maltodextrin

maltose

mannitol

methylcellulose

milo starch

modified starch

monosodium

glutamate MSG

oleic acid

Phenylalanine

phytic acid

sorbitol

soy flour

soy isolates

soy lecithin

soy protein

starch

stearic acid

inverse syrup

tempeh

threonine

tocopherols

(Vitamin E)

tofu

trehalose

triglyceride

vegetable fat

vegetable oil

Vitamin B12

Vitamin E

xanthan gum

SPECIAL NOTE: This guide was compiled based on company statements, not genetic testing. Any product labeled as Non-GMO indicates that its manufacturing process is designed to avoid GMOs, but consumers should be aware that GM contamination is possible due to natural pollen movement, weather events, seed contamination, or human error. Hence there is no guarantee such products are 100% free of GMOs.